Teesta Setalvad
Teesta Setalvad is the organizing secretary for Citizens for Justice and Peace.
Citizens for Justice and Peace
Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand, along with others such as Father Cedric Prakash (a catholic priest), Anil Dharker (a journalist), Alyque Padamsee, Javed Akhtar, Vijay Tendulkar and Rahul Bose (all film & theatre personalities) "set up an NGO named "Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP)" on 1 April 2002, which was "a response to the Gujarat genocide".[1]
Author's Note The term "Gujarat genocide" refers to the 2002 Gujarat riots, a period of intense communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat that began on February 27, 2002, after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire in Godhra, killing 58 people. Following the train incident, widespread retaliatory attack erupted across Gujarat, lasting several weeks.
The Nanavati-Mehta Commission, appointed by the Gujarat government on March 6, 2002, investigated the Godhra train burning incident of February 27, 2002, and the subsequent Gujarat riots. Its findings, based on 44,445 affidavits and over 9,000 pages of material, including from the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team that the fire on the Sabarmati Express, killing 59 Hindu pilgrims in coach S-6, was a “pre-planned conspiracy” by local Muslims who collected 140 liters of petrol to set the coach ablaze. The riots, resulting in the deaths of approximately 254 Hindus, alongside around 790 Muslims, were not organized or pre-planned but were a spontaneous reaction to public anger over the Godhra incident.[2]
'Hindutva' is a Nazi Ideology
A discussion[3] at EPIC Mosque that took place on August 31, 2023 featuring Dr. Yasir Qadhi, Father Cedric Prakash, and Brother Rasheed Ahmed addressing the alleged dangers of Hindutva, what they refer to as a fascist ideology they compare to Nazism, which according to the speakers, promotes intolerance and threatens minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in India. They highlight Hindutva’s global reach, including its influence in the U.S., and urge American Muslims, especially those of South Asian descent, to engage in politics to counter Hindutva.
Yasir Qadhi introduces Rasheed Ahmed as the chair of the Indian American Muslim Council and highlights the organization’s unique role as the only national political association lobbying the U.S. Congress on behalf of Indian Muslims. He emphasizes its educational impact on him personally, its effectiveness despite its small size, and his involvement in fundraising for it. The mention is tied to the broader discussion of preventing a “potential genocide” in India, framing the IAMC as a critical vehicle for political advocacy.
Teesta Setalvad was referenced during the discussion:
- Father Cedric Prakash First of all, in all honesty, I must say I’m not the only one; many people did a lot. Prashant became the hub of a lot of response to the terrible tragedy that engulfed Gujarat on the 27th and 28th of February 2003. More than 2,000 of our brothers and sisters, Muslims, were massacred, killed, raped, brutalized, and dispossessed. Today, most of them cannot return to the place they once called home. That’s a fact in Gujarat, and this is happening in India, in Noida, in Gurugram the other day, and in many other parts of India. We put together a citizens’ tribunal headed by Justice Krishna, and we have come out with a three-volume document called Crime Against Humanity. I belong to the group called Citizens for Justice and Peace. Teesta Setalvad is the organizing secretary, the executive secretary of the group, and many people belong to this group, mainly as trustees. Basically, we are talking about three things. First, that crime against humanity was not a spontaneous act; it was fed, perpetuated, encouraged, and motivated by the person who today rules the country, none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That’s clear. There’s enough evidence to show that, and no one is denying it, whatever certain judiciaries say. Secondly, those who have been victim-survivors are still fighting for justice. These are poor, simple, ordinary human beings waiting 20 years after, and we are still trying to accompany them in their relentless quest for justice. The third, which is very important, is that we have to address the system—a system which demonizes, denigrates, and divides the other, which are characteristics of fascism. Fascism is very fundamentalist, very fanatic, and this is what the Hindutva ideology is all about, and we try to address that.
Demand change in Religious Traditions
Teesta Setalvad signed a letter demanding change in religious traditions, citing Brahmanical Patriarchy. From an article in India dated January 10 2019:[4]
- "In a letter to the Chief Minister of Kerala, the President of India, Chief Justice of India and the Governor of Kerala, over 200 women’s activists, Dalit activists, Adivasi activists, human rights groups, social organisations, cultural personalities and well-known citizens demanded the dismissal of priests in Sabarimala over violation of constitutional rights and returning the shrine to Adivasis."